For the Walls, they are either entire and continued, or intermitted; and the Intermiffions are either Columns or Pilafters.-Entire, or continued Walls, are variously distinguished; by fome, according to the Quality of the Materials, as they are either Stone, Brick, &c. others only confider the Pofition of the Materials; as when Brick, or fquare Stones, are laid in their Lengths, with Sides and Heads together, or the Points conjoined, like a Network, &c.

The great Laws of Muring, are, that the Walls ftand perpendicular to the Ground-work; the right Angle being the Caufe of all Stability: that the maffieft and heavieft Materials be lowest, as fitter to bear than to be born; that the Work diminish in Thickness, as it rifes; both for Ease of Weight and Expence: that certain Courses, or Ledges, of more Strength than the reft, be interlaid, like Bones, to fuftain the Fabric from total Ruin, if the under Parts chance to decay: and lastly, that the Angles be firmly bound; thefe being the Nerves of the whole Fabric, and commonly fortified, by the Italians, on each Side the Corners, even in Brick Buildings, with fquared Stones; which add both Beauty and Strength.

The Intermiffions, as before obferved, are either Columns or Pilafters whereof there are five Orders, viz. Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Compofite;, each of which is delineated on the Plate annexed.

Columns and Pilafters are frequently, both for Beauty and Majefty, formed archwife.

For the Apertures, they are either Doors, Windows, Staircafes, Chimneys, or Conduits for the Suillage, &c. Only with regard to the laft, it may be obferved, that Art fhould imitate Nature in these ignoble Conveyances, and separate them from Sight, where a running Water is wanting, into the most remote, loweft and thickeft Part of the Foundation; with secret Vents, paffing up through the Walls like Tunnels to the open Air; which the Italians all commend for the Discharge of noifome Vapours.

For the Compartition, or Diftribution of the Ground-plot into Apartments, &c. Sir H. Wotton lays down these Preliminaries; that the Architect never fix his Fancy on a Paper-draught, how exactly foever fet off in Perfpective; much lefs on a mere Plan, without a Model, or Type of the whole Structure, and every Part thereof, in Paftboard or Wood; that this Model be as plain and unadorned as poffible, to prevent the Eye's being impofed on; and that the bigger this Model, the better.

In the Compartition itself, there are two general Views, viz. the Gracefulness, and Usefulness of the Diftribution, for Rooms of Office and Entertaininent; as far as the Capacity thereof, and the Nature of the Country will allow. The Gracefulness will confift in a double Analogy, or Correspondency; first, between the Parts and the Whole, whereby a large Fabric fhould have large Partitions, Entrances, Doors, Columns, and in brief, all the Members large: the fecond, between the Parts themselves, with regard to Length, Breadth, and Height. The Ancients determined the Length of their Rooms, that they were to be Oblongs, by double their Breadth; and the Height by half their Breadth and Length added together. When the Room was to be precifely fquare, they made the Height half as much more as the Breadth which Rules, the Moderns take occafion to difpenfe with; fometimes fquaring the Breadth, and making the Diagonal thereof the Measure of the Height; and fometimes more. This Deviating from the Rules of the Ancients, is afcribed to M. Angelo.

The fecond Confideration in the Compartition, is the Ufefulness; which confifts in the having a fufficient Number of Rooms of all kinds, with their proper Communications, and without Diftraction. Here the chief Difficulty will lie in the Lights and Stair-cafes: the Ancients were pretty eafy on both thofe Heads, having generally two cloistered open Courts, one for the Womens Side, the other for the Men: thus the Reception of Light into the Body of the Building was eafy; which among us must be fupplied, either by the open Form of the Building, or by graceful Refuges or Breaks, by terrafling a Story in danger of Darknefs, and by Abajours, or Sky-lights. -For cafting the Stair-cafes, it may be obferved, that the Italians frequently diftribute the Kitchen, Bake-houfe, Buttery, &t. under Ground, next above the Foundation, and fometimes level with the Floor of the Cellar; raifing the first Afcent into the Houfe fifteen Feet or more: which, befide the removing Annoyances out of the Sight, and gaining fo much room above, does, by elevating the Front, add a Majefty to the Whole. Indeed, Sir H. Wotton obferves, that in England the natural Hofpitality thereof will not allow the Buttery to be fo far out of fight; befides, that a more luminous Kitchen, and a fhorter Distance between that and the Dining-room are required, than that Compartition will well bear.

In the Diftribution of Lodging-rooms, it is a popular and ancient Fault, efpecially among the Italians, to caft the Partitions fo, as when the Doors are all open, a Man may fee

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through

through the whole Houfe; grounded on the Ambition of fhewing a Stranger all the Furniture at once: an intolerable Hardfhip on all the Chambers except the inmoft, where none can arrive but through all the reft, unless the Walls be extreme thick for fecret Paffages: nor will this ferve the Turn, without at least three Doors to each Chamber; a thing inexcufable, except in hot Countries: befides it being a Weakening to the Building, and the Neceffity it occafions of making as many common great Rooms as there are Stories, which devours a great deal of room, better employed in places of Retreat; and must likewise be dark, as running through the Middle of the Houfe.

In the Compartition, the Architect will have occafion for frequent Shifts; through which his own Sagacity, more than any Rules, must conduct him. Thus he will be frequently put to ftruggle with Scarcity of Ground; fometimes to damn one Room for the Benefit of the reft, as to hide a Buttery under a Stair-cafe, &c. at other times, to make those the most beautiful which are most in Sight: and to leave the reft, like a Painter, in the Shadow, &c.

For the Covering of the Building; this is the laft in the Execution, but the firft in the Intention; for who would build, but to fhelter? In the Covering, or Roof, there are two Extremes to be avoided, the making it too heavy or too light: the first will prefs too much on the Underwork; the latter has a more fecret Inconvenience; for the Cover is not only a bare Defence, but a Band or Ligature to the whole Building; and there requires a reasonable Weight. Indeed, of the two Extremes, a House Top-heavy is the worft. Care is likewife to be taken, the Preffure be equal on each Side; and Palladio wishes, that the whole Burden might not be laid on the outward Walls, but that the inner likewife bear their Share. The Italians are very curious in the Proportion and Gracefulness of the Pent or Slopenefs of the Roof; dividing the whole Breadth into nine Parts, whereof two serve for the Height of the highest Top or Ridge from the lowest: but in this Point, Regard must be had to the Quality of the Region; for, as Palladio infinuates, thofe Climates which fear the falling of much Snow, ought to have more inclining Pentices than others.

Thus much for the principal or effcntial Part of a Building. -For the Acceffories, or Ornaments, they are fetched from Painting and Sculpture. The chief Things to be regarded in the firft, are, that no Room have too much, which will occafion a Surfeit; except in Galleries, or the like: that the

beft Pieces be placed where there are the feweft Lights: Rooms with feveral Windows are Enemies to Painters, nor can any Pictures be seen in Perfection, unless illumined, like Nature, with a fingle Light: that in the Difpofition Regard be had to the Pofture of the Painter in working, which is the most natural for the Pofture of the Spectator; and that they be accommodated to the Intentions of the Room they are ufed in. For Sculpture, it must be observed, that it be not too abundant; especially at the firft Approach of a Building, or at the Entrance, where a Doric Ornament is much preferable to a Corinthian one that the Niches, if they contain Figures of white Stone, be not coloured in their Concavity too black, but rather dufky; the Sight being displeased with too fudden Departures from one Extreme to another. That fine Sculptures have the Advantage of Nearnefs, and coarfer of Diftance; and that in placing of Figures aloft, they be reclined a little forwards because, the vifual Ray extended to the Head of the Figure, is longer than that reaching to its Feet, which will of Neceffity make that Part appear further off; fo that to reduce it to an erect Pofture, it must be made to ftoop a little forwards. M. Le Clerc, however, will not allow of this Refupination, but will have every Part in its juft Perpendicular.

As to the Stone and Stucco, ufed in Buildings, which are fresh and white at first, and are commonly fuppofed to be difcoloured with the Air, Smoke, &c. the true Cause thereof is, that they become covered with a minute Species of Plants, which alter their Colour. A fort of Lichens yellowish, brownish, or greenifh, which commonly grow on the Barks of Trees, do grow alfo on Stones, Mortar, Plaifter, and even on the Slates of Houfes, being propagated by little light Seeds, difperfed by the Wind, Rain, &c. The beft Prefervative known, is a Coal of Lime.

To judge of a Building, Sir H. Wotton lays down the following Rules.-That before fixing any Judgment, a Perfon be informed of its Age; fince, if apparent Decays be found to exceed the Proportion of Time, it may be concluded, without farther Inquifition, either that the Situation is naught, or the Materials or Workmanship too flight.-If it be found to bear its Years well, let him run back, from the Ornaments and Things which ftrike the Eye first, to the more effential Members; till he be able to form a Conclufion, that the Work is commodious, firm, and delightful; the three Conditions, in a good Building, laid down at firft, and agreed on by all Authors.-This, our Author efteems the moft fcientifical way of judging,

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Vafari

Vaffari propofes another; viz. by paffing a running Examination over the whole Edifice, compared to the Structure of a well-made Man: as whether the Walls ftand upright upon a clean Footing and Foundation; whether the Building be of a beautiful Stature; whether, for the Breadth, it appear well burnished; whether the principal Entrance be on the middle Line of the Front, or Face, like our Mouths; the Windows, as our Eyes, fet in equal Number and Distance on both Sides; the Offices, like the Veins, ufefully diftributed, &c.

Vitruvius gives a third Method of judging: fumming up the whole Art under thefe fix Heads: Ordination, or fettling the Model and Scale of the Work; Difpofition, the juft Expreffion of the firft Defign thereof; (which two Sir H. Wotton thinks he might have fpared, as belonging rather to the Artificer than the Cenfurer:) Eurythmy, the agreeable Harmony between the Length, Breadth and Height of the feveral Rooms, &c. Symmetry, or the Agreement between the Parts and the Whole; Decor, the due Relation between the Building and the Inhabitant, whence Palladio concludes, the principal Entrance ought never to be limited by any Rule, but the Dignity and Generofity of the Mafter. And laftly, Distribution, the ufeful cafting of the feveral Rooms, for Office, Entertainment, or Pleasure.-Thefe laft four are ever to be run over, ere a Man may país any determinate Cenfure: and thefe alone, Sir Henry obferves, are fufficient to condemn or acquit any Building whatever.

Dr. Fuller gives us two or three good Aphorifins in Building; as,-1. Let not the common Rooms be feveral, nor the feveral Rooms common: i. e. the common Rooms not to be private or retired, as the Hall, Galleries, &c. which are to be open; and the Chambers, &c. to be retired.-2o. A House had better be too little for a Day, than too big for a Year. Houfes therefore to be proportioned to ordinary Occafions, not extraordinary.-3°. Country-houses must be Subftantives, able to ftand of themfelves: not like City Buildings, fupported and sheltered on each Side by their Neighbours.-4°. Let not the Front look afquint on a Stranger; but accoft him right, at s Entrance -5°. Let the Offices keep their due Distance om the Manfion-houfe; thofe are too familiar, which are the fame pile with it.

The Plan or Projection of an Edifice is commonly laid down on three feveral Draughts.

The first is a Plan, which exhibits the Extent, Divifion, and Diftribution of the Ground into the, various Apartments and other Conveniencies propofed,

The